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H.R. 491, a bill to modify the boundaries of Cibola National Forest in the State of New Mexico, to transfer certain Bureau of Land Management land for inclusion in the national forest, and for other purposes

Summary

As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on February 29, 2012

H.R. 491 would transfer administrative jurisdiction of certain federal land from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to the Forest Service. The bill also would prohibit certain activities, including mineral leasing, from taking place on the affected land. Finally, the bill would authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to purchase private land located within the boundaries of the Cibola National Forest. Based on information provided by the affected agencies, CBO estimates that enacting the legislation would have no significant impact on the federal budget. Enacting H.R. 491 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.

Under the bill, the Forest Service would assume responsibility for about 900 acres of land currently administered by BLM. The bill would prohibit mineral leasing and certain other
activities on the affected lands. Because those lands are not expected to generate receipts over the next 10 years from activities that would be prohibited under the bill, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would not affect direct spending over the next decade.

CBO also estimates that implementing H.R. 491 would have no significant impact on discretionary spending. The affected lands are currently managed by the federal government
and would require no additional funds to administer. In addition, based on information from BLM, CBO estimates that purchasing private lands under the bill would cost less than $200,000, assuming the availability of appropriated funds.

H.R. 491 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeff LaFave. The estimate was approved by Theresa
Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.